buying vendor's furniture?

[gg1965]

hi all,

I'm settling on a IP house in 3 weeks but the vendor has now approached me (directly - not through the REA), and asked if i wanted to buy any of her furniture.

I recall from my inspections that she had rather nice, and somewhat expensive furniture and so i am rather tempted to try and do a deal for some of her stuff (as it was nice).

Anyway, one thing that concerns me (and i don't want to generalise), but i know the vendor is on a pension and works part-time at a local servo and so i am curious, how could i guarantee that the vendor really owns the furniture and that it isn't being rented or on HP or whatever?

Is there any safeguard that i can check or chase up as i don't want to buy the furniture and have someone turn up on the door and annoy the tenants at my new IP in a few months time trying to take the furniture back becausse the vendor didn't make the payments on her furniture.

So how do i know if she really owns it? Am i being overly cautious in thinking this?


Thanks


g

 

[toony]

If you feel there is a possiblity or risk of her not owning the furniture, I would do either of the following;
a. Ask her direct if she owns the furniture and its not owned by a third party.
b. Just decide not to buy any.

 

[Ausprop]

the lenders can't secure title over a piece of furniture... if she had finance it would be a personal loan. If someone turns up tell them to bugger off and close the door. And make sure you get a receipt off of her!

 

[depreciator]

Putting the ownership of the furniture aside, is the IP in an area where people tend to want part furnished homes? Sometimes tenants don't want bits of furniture (even decent stuff) left by the owner and then you'll have to store it somewhere.
Scott

 

[gg1965]

Actually i should have made this clearer in my original post - i'm thinking of buying the furniture for myself and for my parents.

My cat Floyd scratched the life out of my last loungechair and it is now delegated to be a doggy bed but probably high time to be tossed. Now that Floyd is out of the scratching habit, i thought that it may be a good time to buy some new loungechairs and the ones in this house are rather rather nice. So i was thinking, why pay retail cost when i may have an opportunity to get some good ones second hand.

Plus my parents would like the rather spiffy looking dining set as well.


thanks

g

 

[softmonkey]

It might be easier to think of these as separate transactions.

1. Treat this furniture purchase the same way you would if you were buying furniture from the classifieds. In other words, you get a receipt, and any pre-existing finance arrangements are not your problem.

2. Anyone that turns up at your property looking for the previous owner, no matter for what reason, you give them any forwarding details you have, and have no further involvement in the matter.

 

[Andrew'nTrina]

Hi all

I'd be more inclined to try and work the furniture into the deal if you really wanted it. However, it would have been easier if you'd decided to use that as a bargaining tool in the first place.

First IP I bought as a 24 year old was advertised at one price furnished, or another price unfurnished. I quite liked the furniture, and offered substantially below the unfurnished price, and asked for the furniture to be included. The people were an old couple, it was their holiday house, and they were going to live with their kids anyway, so it was far more trouble to them than it was worth.

If you know the seller's story in the first place, it's amazing what you can get out of it sometimes.

As for someone waltzing up looking to repossess it in a few months time, I wouldn't worry about that at all. It would only take one quick look in the property to see it isn't there, and that neither is the old woman. She, and all her stuff, have gone... who knows where?? If you're really still concerned, go and talk to some re-po guys and get an idea of how their industry works. I really don't think it's an appreciable risk, even if she did HP the stuff.

Andrew